Change of Voice Handicap Index after treatment of benign laryngeal disorders

• Published in: European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology Vol. 271; no. 5; pp. 1157 - 1162
• Main Authors: Stuut, Marijn, Tjon Pian Gi, Robin E. A., Dikkers, Frederik G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-05-2014
• Subjects: Adult; Combined Modality Therapy; Disability Evaluation; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Head and Neck Surgery; Humans; Laryngeal Diseases - diagnosis; Laryngeal Diseases - psychology; Laryngeal Diseases - surgery; Laryngeal Neoplasms - diagnosis; Laryngeal Neoplasms - surgery; Laryngology; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Neurosurgery; Otorhinolaryngology; Papilloma - diagnosis; Papilloma - surgery; Patient Satisfaction; Postoperative Complications - diagnosis; Quality of Life; Voice Disorders - diagnosis; Voice Disorders - psychology; Voice Quality; Voice Training; Benign laryngeal disorders; Treatment outcome; Voice Handicap Index; Quality of life
• ISSN: 0937-4477; 1434-4726
• DOI: 10.1007/s00405-013-2773-9

Voice disorders can have major impact on quality of life. Problems caused by these disorders can be experienced in different domains. The Voice Handicap Index (VHI) is a well-known voice-related quality of life instrument to measure physical, emotional and functional complaints. VHI change after treatment in seven separate benign laryngeal disorders was studied. In addition, correlation between the three domains was examined. VHI forms were completed before and 3 months after treatment. In a 5-year-period, 143 patients with seven specific diagnoses were retrospectively included. VHI improved for six diagnoses polyp (
p
 < 0.000), cyst (
p
 = 0.001), unilateral paralysis (
p
 = 0.001), Reinke edema (
p
 = 0.016), papillomatosis (
p
 = 0.001), nodules (
p
 = 0.002). Sulcus glottidis did not change (
p
 = 0.897). Mean VHI after treatment was higher for females (
p
 = 0.021). The values of the three domains correlate statistically significant. For each diagnosis, the mean VHI after treatment remained higher than in subjects with a healthy voice. Because the domains are interdependent, their absolute values could not be compared. After treatment, VHI improved in six of the seven diagnoses. The scores on the physical, emotional, and functional domain are interdependent. Scores of the different domains cannot be compared.